Car cooling device



Jan. 14, 1936.

W. C. PHILLIPS CAR COOLING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1952.

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Jan. 14, 1936. w. c. PHILLIPS CAR COOLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 17, 1932 5 SheetsSheet 3 INVENTOR.

W41 r52 6 Pawn/ 5 flaw Ayn/7f- ATT o NEYS Patented Jan. 14, 1936 can oooLiNG DEVICE Walter 0. Phillips, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Phillips Refrigeration Products, Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Application September 17, 1932, Serial No. 633,602

5 Claims.

I have foundthrough considerable experience with such devices that not only are the internal dimensions of the so-called standard refrigerator 15 car variable within several inches, but have also found that the height of the bulkhead or bunker wall which extends from a point above the floor of the car to a'point adjacent the ceiling or roof of the car and separates the load compartment and consequently aiiordsan upper bunker opening varying considerably in size. Furthermore, I have found that while with some commodities it is the custom to load only to a moderate height 25 fromthefloor, with other commodities it is the custom to load the car to a point closely approaching the top of the bunker wall, andtherefore leaving only a relatively small space between the top of the load and the roof of the car.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a car cooling device which is particularly useful in connection with refrigerator cars which are to be loaded a maximum amount.

Another object of my invention is to provide a 35 car cooling device which can be utilized in refrigerator cars of varying dimensions.

A further object of my invention is toprovide a car cooling device in which short circuiting of cool air from the upper bunker opening directly through the load tothe lower bunker opening is minimized.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a car cooling device in which air leakage is 45 inhibited despite variations in refrigerator car size.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, in which 50 Figure 1 is a cross section of the upper portion of a refrigerator car on a transverse vertical plane,'showing the car cooling device of my invention mounted therein.

Figure 2 is a cross section, the plane of which 55 is indicated by the lines 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross section, the plane 01' which is indicated by the lines 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a partial plan of the mechanism shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with 5 the air circulating units omitted.

In its preferred form, the car cooling device of my invention is for use in a refrigerator car having a bunker wall dividing the car into a load compartment and an ice bunkenand terminating short of the roof of the car to afford an upper bunker opening, and includes a member extending transverselyof the car adjacent-the opening and serving as a support for a plurality of air circulating units which are transversely movable 5 along the support and can be clamped in position thereon. Each of the units preferably includes a housing arranged substantially horizontally adjacent the roof of the car and is provided with from the ice bunker varies considerably in height,

deflecting air discharged by the fan toward the an air circulating fan therein and with vanes for 20 roof of the load compartment of the car.

As indicated particularly in Figures 1 and 3, the car cooling device of my invention is installed in a standard refrigerator ,car which includes side walls 6 and I as well as a roof 8. An exterior roof 9 spans the car and a bunker wall ll extends from a point spaced from the floor of thecar, not shown, and terminatesshort of the roof 8 to provide an upper bunker opening 12.. The bunker a wall ll divides the car into an ice bunker I3 and a load compartment ll in which the cargo is stowed with itsupper limit sulistantially at the load line 16 indicated in Figure 3.

As disclosed in my copending applications above identified, air is preferably circulated from the ice bunker l3 wherein ice, not shown, is held in place by a screen If, through the upper bunker 12 into the load compartment M of the car, from whence the air passes through the loadand back to the bottom of the bunker [3. In accordance with the present invention, I preferably span the load compartment ll of the car with a support member it which extends transversely of the car between the walls 6 and I. In order to alter the length of the member IE to accord with varying widthsof cars, and in order to clamp or support the member 18 in place, at one end of the beam 18 I preferaly provide a screw 19 terminating in a spike head 20 adapted to engage the material of the wall 6.

At the other end of the beam I8 I preferably provide a similar screw mechanism-2| adapted to engage the wall I upon operation of a toggle lever 22. In order further to brace the beam I 8 adjacent its middle, I preferably afford a spiked rod 23 pivotaily engaging as at 24 the lower flange of the beam, and reinforced by a stay 26 pivotally engaging as at 21 the upper flange of the beam l8. When the beam is mounted, the spike 23 is swung from a position nested between the flanges of the beam and enters the material of the bunker wall II as indicated in Figure 3. A very strong support against lateral deflection is thus provided. The beam IS in addition carries a strip of deformable or flexible material 28 which is adapted to abut the bunker wall Ii when the In accordance with the present invention, there are preferably mounted on the beam I I a piurality of air circulating units such as 3| and 32. Since in the present instance two suchunits are utilized, and since the units are substantially identical, I shall describe but one of them. It is to be understood that any suitable number of be utilized in accordance with the space available for them. Each unit preferably I angle member 33 adapted to overlie one edge of the beam l8 and to be received in clips 34 fastened on the beam ll. Extending from the angle 33 are uprights 36 and 31 carrying toggle levers ll terminating in spike blocks I! designed to engage the roof 8 of the car upon suitable manipulation of the toggle levers, and thereby to hold the members in members of the framework forming therewith what may be termed a plate to prevent flow of air, and in addition flexible material for sealing at 41, and particularly is fastened to the member 36 as at 48.

By the provision of the two units 3| and 32, the units can not only be easily brought into position on the beam II but can be transversely work, and carrying a generally horizontal cylindrical extension SI of sheet metal which is disposed above the load line It and immediately under the" roof I of the car. The extension 5| commimicates with the Venturi section 48 and consequently affords a path of egress for air from the ice bunker i3 through the upper bunker opening l2 and the Venturi section 49 to the interior of the load compartment H. Disposed within I have found through numerous experiments d tests that with mechanism as so far described, the cool air discharged by short-circuit and return bunker opening. Therefore I providea plurality of deflecting vanes 56 and 51 which extend across the forward portion of the extension ii in the cars of varying transverse dimension path of air discharged by the fan 54. The deflecting vanes 56 and 51 are inclined upwardly so that a portion of the air discharged from the fan is directed toward the roof 8 of the car, and does not and cannot immediately short-circuit through the load back to the ice bunker. Since air discharged by the fan, however, is so deflected, some of the air does so effective to cool the load immediately in front of and below the fan unit, whereas that portion of the deflected air which is directed toward the roof of the car flows approximately to the center of the car and then circulates through the load and back beneath the floor of the car to the ice compartment l3.

With the arrangement as described, not only is thorough circulation provided, but there is atforded an even distribution of air which is eflfective to produce a uniform cooling of the load which is essential to the success of such mechanisms. Furthermore, the device is sufficiently compact to be practical in a car in which the load extends entirely up to the load line and furthermore is capable of orientation in various cars to accommodate for variations in dimensions therein.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the form of car cooling device shown and described herein, as the invention for use in refrigerator units themselves.

2. A car cooling device for use in refrigerator cars of varying transverse dimension and having an upper bunker opening comprising a support adapted to extend transversely of said car adjacent said opening, a plurality of demountable air and means for inhibiting air leakage around said units in any selected position thereof.

3. A car cooling device for use in refrigerator spa-ms 5. A car cooling device for use in successive refrigerator oars hsving upper bunker openingsof A different widths, comprising a demountable air circulating unit including a plate. means for holding said unit in position with said plate overlying part of said openin plate means overlying part oi said opening and extending from a wall of said car to a point difleient distances from the eds of said piste in diflexent ours, and sealing means spanning the distance between said plate means and said plate to preclude leakage of sit therebetw en.

' C. PHIILIPS. 

